An affiliate of a notorious copyright enforcement consortium has filed several recent cases in Colorado’s federal court, continuing a national campaign of “troll-style” litigation against ISP subscribers.

The Venice PI, LLC suits are based on the 2017 action/comedy Once Upon A Time in Venice, which features Bruce Willis on a caper which ensues after his beloved pet is stolen. Described in a Variety review as a “direct-to-video-style Nineties throwback,” the reviewer also saw the possibility that the producers would seek revenue from “ancillary and streaming.” Combining a film’s lack of box office success with a likely substantial budget has been observed to be associated with a significant amount of past BitTorrent copyright litigation.

Venice PI is affiliated with notorious copyright enforcer Voltage Pictures, LLC, with distribution rights or co-production credits with regard to each title. Voltage Pictures is said to be the driving force behind hundreds of similar BitTorrent copyright actions that have been filed in recent years, including those related to film titles such as Dallas Buyers Club, Good Kill, The Cobbler, Fathers & Daughters, Pay the Ghost, and TheHurt Locker.

The recent suits are in addition to similar filings against hundreds of Doe defendants in many other District Courts across the nation. In each case, the plaintiffs allege infringement of the films via the U.S. of BitTorrent file-sharing software applications. They seek statutory damages, which range from $750 minimum per work up to $150,000 (if infringements are deemed “willful”), plus injunctions against further infringement, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

Like other Colorado BitTorrent suits, these complaints were signed by David J. Stephenson, Jr. of The Rocky Mountain Thunder Law Firm. A case listing with links to the complaints is below.

Troll Defense

About

Benjamin Justus is one of the few attorneys in the nation who has for years represented individuals, families and businesses that have been sued or threatened with suit for alleged internet-based copyright infringement by various owners of intellectual property in films, music, photographs and other works. He has assisted hundreds of parties who have been involved in such claims. His practice is expanding to include other aspects of liability arising from internet activities, including trademark infringement, defamation, and circumvention of protective technologies.